All My Children
BREAKING NEWS: Prospect Park Shelves OLTL Pending Lawsuit Resolution! Focus On Producing AMC!
Photo Credit: David Russell/TOLN
This morning, the L.A. Times is reporting some significant news on the fate of Prospect Park and TOLN’s revivals of All My Children and One Life to Live. The first is: that One Life to Live is being put on hold until the lawsuit with ABC has been resolved. The second: the company will be focusing on producing All My Children at this point in time.
The Times stated, “Prospect Park is shelving One Life to Live until the ABC lawsuit is resolved. The team will focus on producing All My Children, which proved to be the more popular show online. (On TV, One Life to Live generated higher ratings.) Writers are currently putting together scripts for a second season.”
Prospect Park CEO, Jeff Kwatinetz related on the task of mounting soap operas, “Agnes (Nixon) told me this job wasn’t for sissies. If I didn’t want to make any mistakes, I would sit back and let other people go figure it out and then just copy them. But then we wouldn’t be helping to shape the future of television.”
From all indications from the article, Kwatinetz is, “soldiering on and plans to ramp up production this month for a second season of All My Children.
So, One Life to Live fans, do you think you will see the show ever return? Do you think waiting for the lawsuit to be settled with ABC is the right thing to do to see if key actors/characters that were missing can return to their original show: Todd Manning, John McBain and Starr Manning? Do you feel this season of OLTL was crippled due to not having those characters, thus storylines seemed off? How do you feel about the companies decision to move forward right now with just All My Children? Is All My Children the better of the two shows online? Share your thoughts!
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Michael, Please give us some real information. It feels like a gag order has been issued for the actors lately!!! If it is over , I would rather mourn now and not die a slow death waiting for this lawsuit to play out. It doesn’t feel/smell right!! Help…..thanks!!!
Ditto!
Pam, I agree.
does this mean RH can go back to playing Todd on GH?
no not likely the character is still owned by PP.
Hope not, don’t want ABC to get their grubby hands on that brilliant character ever again.
I don’t realy understand this lawsuit. ABC is the one who cancelled OLTL to begin with so if another type of network picks up whre the show left OFF, what is this lawsuit all about? Did ABC have special contract for these 3 actors to remain their Character Names and hold them from working on ther soap scripts to other companies? That’s like telling them, your job is on hold and your our prisoners until OLTL. Find a network to employee and comeback where you all left off. In reality all OLTL actors were left in Lombo. ABC is the real big problem here.
# OLTL/Prospect Park go back and air your show, regain your confidence and don’t lose OLTL’s fans. Adjust the scripts to be more spice in them. Go For It !
No that is not right… ABC needs to settle this… OLTL is much better than AMC…. Please get this resolved soon…
I think both OLTL and AMC are good–let’s not follow in Michael Logan’s and ABC’s footsteps and pit one soap against the other. We should support the soap genre as a whole because we have witnessed the fact that, yes, the soaps could really go away.
Amen
I agree. I’m sick of the two shows being pitted against each other.
Thank you Harry, you are so right!
Amen!!
Ditto.
I agree OLTL is the superior show. I have watched both shows faithfully since 1977 .I had come to love OLTL more years ago and that has continued to be true online. I will support both shows and watch AMC and hope that they resume OLTL ASAP!!!
I agree wholeheartedly about oltl being the better show. I just gave up watching amc around June. The show made less and less sense without Erica, Tad, etc. It just had little cohesion without the key “adult” characters and relied too much on the kiddos. I don’t what exactly else is missing from the show, but it’s just not AMC. OLTL, on the other hand, is fine since Day 1 of its return. The main characters like Vicky, Dorian, Clint, etc. just made everything work. I hope that it returns.
AMC is good OLTL Still rocks.
Some things did take some getting used to – but feeling betrayed AGAIN
I guess that I must be one of the few that do not care for the online version of AMC, I tried to watch it, but very quickly lost interest. I feel that the mistake was made in fast forwarding five years along with bad writing as well and using younger actors who in my opinion couldn’t act their way out of a paper bag and placing so much emphasis on THEM rather than the older cast members ,is basically why I lost interest.
OLTL to me is the far better of the two. I agree that there was bad writing when it came to certain characters such as Natalie, Cutter and especially Jack. A romantic pairing of Jack and his teacher was and is just plain wrong. Don’t the writers remember Pamela Smart? The recasting and therefore reinventing certain characters was just plain stupid, case in point, Matthew and Destiny. And they could’ve done without Rama and even Cutter altogether. Vicki, Clint, Bo, Nora, Dorian and David on the other hand were very well written for.
The ratings suggest that most viewers feel AMC is the better soap.
I am a tad confused on this score because while AMC earned higher ratings with online viewers, OLTL earned higher ratings than AMC with television viewers. There is something incredibly fishy about the whole affair and I don’t think we have the whole story.
OLTL only had better ratings for the last few seasons on TV. If you compare the ratings of AMC and OLTL over their entire run on TV, AMC had the higher ratings the large majority of the time. AMC is the bigger brand and more well-known soap to the average TV viewer. Even people who don’t watch soaps have heard of Susan Lucci/Erica Kane.
ALL MY CHILDREN is the better soap. The stories were far more dramatic and compelling than ONE LIFE TO LIVE. I am not interested in watching J-Wow or whatever the hell her name is making snarky comments to everybody in Shelter. Some story line.
I agree, we lost OLTL once could not stand to loose it again!! I even tweeted, email etc..Oprah to please keep #OLTL on her network…she did tell viewers you asked and I listened, so if she listened let Propect Park and ABC get over the tiff and move on so the viewers who pay for cable can watch what we want !! Keep OLTL!!!!
I’ll want both back
EXACTLY.People on here shouldn’t start pitting one against the other.This from the start has been abc’s doing.Both shows deserve a LIFE to LIVE.
No, they shouldn’t be pitted against each other, but that’s what ABC did and now that’s what PP is doing by not bringing both back. If they don’t then ABC will have already won. IMO OLTL was always the better show, but ABC promoted AMC more and now so is PP by needlessly dropping OLTL. There is noting in the lawsuit that I can see which precludes PP from starting production of OLTL with AMC.
Winning a lawsuit will not bring Todd and the others back to life on GH. So what’s really to gain by suing? They need to out write GH and have them come back like Mitch Lawrence did so many times.
I was very upset PP ended OLTL with yet another cliffhanger. What if it doesn’t come back? The fans are left hanging yet again. We still don’t know what happened. AMC wrapped things up much better, like we know what JR did. OLTL wrapped up nothing.
Also, to me it seems clear PP spent more time on AMC, it had better scripts and better opening and closing and music. But OLTL fans should be used to this, OLTL was always the lesser sibling of the other two on ABC too. ;-0
They should have brought back Langston, Markko, The Ford Brothers (all of them)
agreed!
OMG, Crystal and Elle!!! BITE YOUR TONGUES!!!
I’m guessing both of you girls just recently had a lobotomy because nobody in their right state of mind would want the Ford Brothers brought back!!!
They should bring back Brody and Jessica.
Disappointing news. I wasn’t really into OLTL in the revamp and don’t think it had anything to do with the three characters being gone (especially since we had Todd until the last 2 weeks). I watched because I wanted to support them and hoped it would get better. Loved seeing the original cast members. So glad to hear that AMC will probably be back. It was more “my cup of tea.” Sure hope they’re able to get Michael E. Knight back for good!
I think after this stunt, Michael E Knight will be reluctant to come back unless he has nothing better to do.
No its not the right thing to do, they can revive any dead character and re-cast the roles of Starr and John. I think the reason the ratings were not good were because of the fact that there were no story lines, the beginning of OLTL seemed like a bunch of people just getting together and shooting the breeze, nothing significant happened until the last few weeks when Jack hooked up with his teacher, Clint has his meltdown and Allison’s return. Blame the writers for lack of ratings not the fans.
I couldn’t agree more that the writing is the thing that hurt the show the most. Overall, it was terrible!
Tony, I think you’re on the mark there.
I so disagree with you, Tony. I thought the writing was tight, character driven and interesting. The writing was enhanced by fabulous performances by the veteran cast. If I had one quibble it was there was Dani-Mathew over saturation but the writers heard viewers’ complaints on that score and corrected it.
I think the biggest problem in the beginning was too much time spent in that dark and dreary bar. If there was a police investigation going on regarding drugs it might have went over better with veteran viewers. How many times can you watch people get twisted?!
OLTL has always been my favorite show and I hope all this mess gets worked out quickly and that it continues online with the second showings on OWN so everyone can continue to enjoy it
Well….ok if you disagree but for the first 25 or so episodes there was nothing much going on but people socializing on screen. There were little promises in between but they always fell flat. Of course the cast gave fabulous performances, they are the best and had to go with the garbage that was thrown at them.
Recast all the important characters-Starr, John, and Todd and resurrect Hope and her father. I didn’t see any dead bodies when they died. Todd and Victor came back from the dead.
Doesnt look good…what does the lack of Todd, Starr, or John have to do with it…OLTL has more of the vets involved in story than AMC …they recast Matt and Dee and they could do the same for Starr and John…something smells fishy here!!!…If M.E, K.A. and R.H really want to return they can wen their contracts up…AMC continued without the legendary Erica…Kendal not there full time…yet AMC survives…i think this is more of money issues than anything else!!!
But you’re missing the point entirely. AMC, for the last couple of years lost viewers in droves. Why? Because of the over reliance on Erica and the Fusion gang, including that boring Ken doll called Ryan. AMC is doing well not in spite of Erica not being there, but because she is not there. I watched AMC since I was about ten–it was the first soap I ever watched (not that that is something to brag about). But Erica, Kendall and Grennlee were like vortexes–they sucked the oxygen and creativity out of the room. I am not alone in feeling this way.
I never liked fusion or Ryan and Greenlee but ive always liked Susan…she is the reason why started to watch AMC…however, the reboot is still ok without her(i still like to see Erica come back for a short story arc) but i no longer watch it much…i liked the show best in the 1980s but that could change i might become a regular again…you never know with me!!!…lol
Another thing, we the fans campaigned, fought, wrote letters, made phone calls and kept OLTL alive on the social networks and this is how they pay us back????????????
Agree!
I agree! I loved OLTL & OLTL 2.0 and am very disappointed. Just another reason I am still boycotting ABC/Disney. I support AMC but I just couldn’t get into it the way I did with OLTL. As much as I love RH/ME/KA I don’t think OLTL 2.0 needs those actors. I say cut your losses and focus on the great cast you currently have.
I agree, too.
you got be joking right. Come one this only soap I watch from tv too online now won’t get
see it because this lawsuit.
I think both shows are great and support them but I do think One Life was harmed greatly by what happened with changes done to characters on OLTL while they were on GH. I hope all this mess works out and that PP will be able to get One Life back into production again. I was really enjoying where the story was going. ABC should have honored the agreement to share characters across both GH and One Life, it would have been a win win!!
I agree with you entirely, Glenn.
Me too.
I could see the argument that their plans for a relaunch were harmed by not getting back characters who were important in the finale (leaving them unable to tie stories from the finale up the way they planned to), but let’s be real. Cole and Starr had moved away from Llanview in the finale so they were easily ignored. The got Todd back for the near-full extent of their first storytelling run, and thus only Tea’s baby and McBain were at issue. I agree McBain was a huge issue and could definitely have harmed them…BUT the shows debuted a while ago and enough time has gone by. This specific thing can’t be laid at the feet of ABC. AMC has thrived without Erica Kane and without Tad Martin and with a lot less access to veterans than OLTL had. The fact that OLTL had a slower build to it’s storytelling and, outside of the Tale of Two Todds, was not terribly interesting in its first couple months is the real reason it was not doing as well as AMC. It wasn’t that they didn’t have specific characters (not being able to get Erica or Tad back on AMC had to have been a HUGE hurdle to clear for AMC, but they did it) it was that the show was not that good until very recently…too much focus on the nightclub, too much darkness–even fun characters weren’t fun anymore, everyone was brooding and characters like Roxy, who often lifted the mood of the show were non-existant. I think OLTL got it together at the end and deserves a second season. I think the new writers will be boffo, but this isn’t ABC’s fault, not this time anyway. And I think OLTL was definitely written for a 4 day a week schedule, which is what they thought they had when they wrote and shot it. Cliffhangers and major turning points were clearly plotted out every four episodes and thus we only got one major turning point every two weeks and one week in between of talky exposition often the “last” show of one week and the first show of the next–it works when the show is on every day, it does not work when you only get one hour a week. But PP made the decision to only air a 4 day a week show twice a week and in one sitting, which made a show like OLTL, which was more deliberately plotted, less compelling. That’s on OLTL and PP. Specifically, there is nothing in the current lawsuit (other than the fact that PP might have been/still be counting on a settlement of a few million dollars to finance OLTL) that would prevent a second OLTL season. They can recast Starr, Todd, and John at any point if they want or simply continue without them (like AMC is doing). PP simply doesn’t have the money and it seems declasse at this point to blame ABC who may have been the villain once,… Read more »
So very sad. Not only did ABC, Frank and Ron, kill Cole, Hope and Victor Jr., they destroyed John and Natalie and now they are also partly responsible for OLTL’s demise.
Had a feeling this was going to happen when a bunch of OLTL stars headed to Beacon Hill. Prospect Park just didn’t invest enough in the reboot, probably due to the lawsuit with ABC. Having watched OLTL for 31 years, this Girl is broken-hearted. I can’t even imagine not ever seeing JOLIE together again.
Unfortunately, lawsuits can go on forever and by the time it’s resolved, the leading players will probably move on to other shows.
Here’s to OLTL, the best soap opera ever!
You mean the lawsuit that PP started themselves. I’m sorry three actors dont make a show. Just look at the transition AMC made from the Final ABC show to the reboot. This is all about the writing. You can not blame GH for all the other character Storylines being awful.
If PP really wanted to undo what happend on GH all they had to do was WRITE IT. If anything I was digging more of OLTL on GH than that awful first week online. Which at the end of the day was the writing. To say the demise is because of GH is like blaming Jessica for not being around either. If AMC can survive with Tad and Erica, then OLTL can survive without 3 characters.
They had some serious heavy hitter actors and they did nothing with them. The shows got great towards the end, but I think it was already to late.
But I also feel AMC had much more hands on approach with an EP thats been around for awhile, vs OLTL which had a completely new team. I sometimes wish Agnes Nixon was as hands on with OLTL as she is with AMC. I feel she always takes care of that show, and leaves OLTL in the hands of others. I’m just saying.
oh I sadly have to agree… OLTL on GH was much better than OLTL V2
I agree with you up to a point, but Natalie and Blair were left hanging with their storylines. Todd, the love of Blair’s life, was suddenly in Port Charles acting incredibly goofy and out of character while making goo goo eyes at Carly–a woman Todd would normally never give a second look. (In fact, Roger looked like he really wasn’t that into Laura) GH ruined the character of Todd, they killed Cole and Hope, and their careless stupid antics did have a strong negative effect on OLTL>
But I think my issue with the Blame game on GH is that PP could have split from the ABC universe if the they truly thought that GH was gonna be a negative impact on the reboot. AMC picked up 2 years later and kept it moving. I mean can we honestly say that OLTL would have been any better if Cole and Hope were alive. I doubt it. They botched stories even with the characters they had. And lets remember none of those bodies were ever found. So it was left open ended, and I truly believe there would have been more 2 that story on ABC if all the fighting between the two camps hadnt happend.
Everyone has their personal taste, thats why I never bash anyone on these boards. But I think its time we stop blaming GH or ABC for production and writing going on over at PP. At the end of the day it still comes down to the writers and the Execs at PP. Its about making hard decisions. Three people dont wanna come back, okay recast and move on. GH cant be blamed for Dorian, Viki, Matthew, and Bo/Nora’s storylines.
I kind of chuckle when everything that goes wrong over at PP, some of these soap fans start with the its ABC fault. I personally feel these productions were rushed into production way to fast, and it was very noticeable in the beginning. Plus Pine Valley still felt like Pine Valley even without a massive amount of people not being there. Also I feel like PP made a bigger deal about the LV3, but yet Jessica is just floating out there. Characters leave town all the time, and soaps have gone on, not missing a beat. But that can only happen in the hands of gifted and crafted writers. OLTL needed people behind the scenes that knew the show.
Good point. How do you have Hillary B. Smith, Robert Woods, and a bevy of other talented heavy hitters and not let the actually do any real ACTING? How do you, knowing what is on the line for these reboots, hire a model who can’t act (she got better, but not by much) — on a show in this situation EVERYONE had to carry their weight. And how, once you know you don’t have Starr or John for the time being, not just write compelling drama instead. The only pass I give them, as I wrote above, is that they clearly wrote and shot this thinking it was a four day a week show–they had big cliffhangers and turning points every four days and exposition in the middle like most soaps do. When they broke it up AFTER the fact into one hour a week it meant that some weeks (particuarly the weeks that didn’t include a “Friday”–actually Thursday, show in them) were just boring. That wasn’t OLTL’s fault, nor was it ABC’s. That was a change PP made midway through, for financial reasons and OLTL was less enabled to handle it than AMC was.
Don’t worry–I truly believe that there is no way that OLTL will not be back. Don’t give up!
Hey Harry I def believe it will be back. But it needs to be given the same care and love that AMC seems to always get. I love Agnes Nixon, but I wish she was much more hands on with OLTL like she is with All My Children. If she was helping the writing team like she does AMC, OLTL would be amazing. I feel like even online, OLTL is once again the RED HEADED STEPCHILD. My show always gets shafted.
I do love your positivity, even if I disagree about ABC…and I agree with you. We’ll hope for the best together!
Gentry,
It is a damn shame. Starting from the destruction of our beloved OLTL characters on GH to the never ending ups and downs of PP. I too was SO hoping for our beloved JOLIE. THEY WERE AND ARE AWESOME. MISS THEM SO MUCH AND FEELING SO MUCH DISAPPOINTMENT!
AMC didnt have the “Erica Kane” and that show soldiered on. No soap should only be about 3 characters. And if OLTL couldnt tell decent stories because 3 actors didnt return, then those writers should be FIRED. Seriously, PP needs to stop the blame game. They got their 3 characters back, and still didnt use them in the end. So those 3 characters impacted all the other stories going on as well. REALLY????
Bad point, Travis. Many long time and loyal AMC fans turned away from AMC because of the over reliance on Erica, not to mention the Fusion Girls and the insipid Ryan Lavery. AMC soldiering on without the aforementioned four is one of the reasons AMC is doing so well on Prospect. That, and them bringing back the utterly brilliant and funny Billy Clyde.
Many fans want Erica Kane back and often comment on the AMC facebook page about missing her on the show. But she isn’t the only major character gone, Tad Martin is gone, Adam Chandler is gone, Jack Montgomery is gone and the list goes on. AMC had to do without a lot of major characters. Bringing back Billy Clyde couldn’t make up for those major losses. The secret to AMC’s success is the writing. If OLTL’s writers are so dependent on three characters and can’t write the show without them, they are probably in the wrong profession and OLTL needs to hire new writers. Can you imagine Shakespeare refusing to write anymore plays because Romeo and Juliet were dead? Ridiculous.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Any writer with a sense of self respect would be embarrass to even suggest that their talents were solely limited to writing for only three specific actors.
TNT, the Romeo and Juliet reference was idiotic at best and doesn’t prove your point at all. Each play is separate from the other . Most fans were sick to death of Erica Kane and aren’t really missing her all that much. And it isn’t just about three characters, you need to factor in Blair and Natalie by extension, not to mention Cole and Hope. That makes 7 characters. Moreover, GH ruined Todd–making him act goofy, silly and not at all like himself. No one has suggested that that the writers’ ability to tell a good story is predicated on 3 characters–don’t make such silly statements. However, what is being suggested is that ABC has made obvious efforts to sabotage OLTL’s success and those efforts have had a rippling effect on OLTL.
You could make your point without insulting someone. No wonder you don’t see any problems with the writing on OLTL. My point is, because obviously you are not a writer or familiar with the craft, a good writer’s ability to write a good story is not dependent on a specific character.
“No one has suggested that that the writers’ ability to tell a good story is predicated on 3 characters–don’t make such silly statements.”
Obviously you did understand the opening comment before you decided to disagree with it. I would suggest a reading comprehension class. Until then, don’t waste my time with your insults.
Correction: Obviously you did not understand the opening comment before you decided to disagree with it. I would suggest a reading comprehension class. Until then, don’t waste my time with your insults.
The best part is the writer’s on BOTH shows were fired! They were supposed to come back this season with new writers on both shoes!
I don’t think the absence of McBain, Todd & Starr has hampered the show it all! The show still has a wealth of talent: Robin Strasser, Jerry ver Dorn, Hillary B. Smith, Robert S. Woods, Florencia Lozano, and Ron Raines! Both PP and ABC need to move past this and PP needs to realize the assets and blessings they do have — which are many!
Yep, when you whine until (possibly) the end of the show’s life about not being able to write for John McBain or Starr Manning, but manage to eff up the return of greats like Hilary B. Smith and Robert Woods (did they do ANY acting this year in their own stories or just recite lines and react) and not write compelling drama for plenty of other great characters, then it is not the fault of not getting the actors you wanted or the chance to tell the story you wanted. Actors quit, die, go into rehab, or get fired from soaps all the time, sometimes more than one at the same time. Soaps have been rolling with that for years. The fact that they claim (which I don’t believe) that they couldn’t write a good show that got AMC’s numbers because they couldn’t write for three characters is an insult to their writers and just a chance to blame someone. AMC lost Erica, Jack, Kendall (the loss of Kendall but not Zach is very similar to the loss of McBain but not Natalie), and Tad, as well as not as popular but still very popular Ryan, Greenlee, Amanda, Jake, and Krystal, as well as popular newcomers like Brot. And yet they took what they had and made a better show. They took risks like jumping ahead 5 years that OLTL was not willing to make and they asked the audience to trust them. They told edgy stories that were genuinely edgy (like Cassandra’s human trafficking) and not just full of curse words and they balanced out the different age groups and stories very, very well. They added romance and moments of happiness here and there, in addition to the drama, while everyone on OLTL suffered all the time. Agreed that PP needs to move past the kneejerk reaction to blame ABC for everything and fix their own ship.
This sucks! Stupid ABC, they should have never cancelled OLTL the ratings were better than the other two soaps. GH should have been cancelled, funny how the PTB then hired Valetnini and company to helm it, which only proves ABC knew they and the crew of OLTL were the best. Why else hire them to save GH? Further more to say that 3 actors would have made that much of an impact on the Revived OLTL is insulting to the other veteran actors. John Starr and Todd did not make up the whole canvas of the show they were pieces of the quilt that were woven together with the other characters. If OLTL did not have Viki, Dorian, or the Buchannans then yeah the show would not be OLTL. I hope PP takes ABC for everything they can, until then I will have to wait.
Im in no way saying ABC is right or wrong. But its time for PP to start owning up to their own mistakes. I mean ABC had nothing to do with the writers and EP they hired for OLTL. And I agree with you that its an insult to say OLTL couldnt carry on with John Mcbain or Starr. Thats such BS. AMC doesnt have Tad or Erica, yet there relatives are still going strong. Dixie has been back driving story without Tad. So its time for PP to start taking care of the show they have and the people on the Canvas.
The irony is that is PP keeps going on and on about those 3 actors, but not addressing the fact that they own the characters and could have made an executive decision to recast the roles. Bree passed as well on this project, but they arent going crazy over the Jessica character not being there, which is very interesting.
So true they can recast its all about money and what show PP is making them cash
Amen.
AMEN!!!
Ditto that!
This is terrible news. I am only a fan of OLTL. I think it hurt OLTL to not have the 3 actors who are now on GH. I know they had Todd, but that hurt the storylines as his entire story focused on how he would leave town which was not very interesting. Why did ABC move mountains to hold onto those 3 actors? Are they so amazing and vital to GH? That seems hard to believe. I think OLTL did not have writers who were familiar with the show, and that hurt OLTL tremendously. Why on earth did every episode focus on Matthew a new and unknown actor to the audience. Natalie did not have the strong personality that she used to have. Destiny was a terrible recast – no acting skills and wrong look. Viki, my favorite character, came across as money hungry and not caring much about her family for most of the season. This Viki was written without compassion and empathy for her family. The happenings at Matthew’s apartment were very boring. For the last 4 weeks, OLTL was getting much better, and I was enjoying it again. If it were to come back, I would definitely watch it. I would get a new Destiny and a new Starr. The writers should tune in to Soapnet to get a better idea of the character’s personalities.
Lisa, I totally agree with you. The reboot was not the same. They should have at least watch the history of the show before writing and producing it. The second episode was not that good. Victor was back and everyone act as if he was on vacation instead of coming back from the dead. No significant action at all. Vicky didn’t even acknowledge him and that is not the Vicky I watched and loved for 35 years. Too much focused on the young adults. Then they cut the episodes. Nevertheless, I continued to watch it until the very end.
Agree with you Lisa. They should have picked the show up EXACTLY where it left off-from the very last ABC episode. That was such a good show that day-it would have been great to go from there. And I agree with you on the recasts. I understand that everyone could not/would not come back but recasts need to be eased into the show so we can get used to them. Everytime I tried to watch online I just couldn’t figure out who was who & I did not like all the club scenes & music. I LOVED the original Destiny & her parents & never took to the new Destiny or Matthew either. ABC lost a great thing.
Honestly, I really enjoyed RH/ME/KA on OLTL, but I don’t think they are all that important to GH. Yes, all three have major storylines right now, but I didn’t miss them when they were on the forced hiatus (due to the lawsuit) and I’m not digging their new characters at all. Also, GH has a huge, talented cast and these actors aren’t necessary. More isn’t always better.
when bob wood & corbin bleu were chatting live with you michael a couple of weeks ago i thought it was strange that neither one had heard anything about a date to start taping season2 – now i see why…………….
this is just so unfair to the fans as well as the actors
i have watched both shows since the early 70’s & i truly love both show – oltl is the better show & that is just my opinion……….i missed star, todd & john but i feel oltl was just fine without them
So they could keep going, as they were doing, without these 3 actors – and continue the legal battle in the meantime, but are choosing to hold everything while they legal battle goes on? Do I have this right? I AM watching GH – partly to continue watching those 3 actors. But – OLTL could go on without them WITH better writing. I have to admit I haven’t really been into any of the current stories – just watching because I can. That probably isn’t a good enough reason to do anything.
Meanwhile over at AMC – I am doing a happy dance to have Tad coming back – even if they only give us one episode, I’ll be happy. Erika who? From the start I wasn’t missing her character. I LOVE Opal and hope they will keep her in the spotlight. Not enjoying Colby’s new character – getting used to other changes. Would like to see Dixie more – like Miranda / AJ , Jesse and Angie, Dr. David .
The initial taping was done with one soap, then the other… so in a way aren’t we just doing the same thing? Focus on AMC – let them go on hiatus… get back to work on OLTL etc? Online TV is new, looking like growing in interest – let’s give them a chance – voice our opinions – try to do so in a constructive helpful way and be a part of the progress, not hinder it.
“So they could keep going, as they were doing, without these 3 actors – and continue the legal battle in the meantime, but are choosing to hold everything while they legal battle goes on?”
Yep. It’s because they appear to have been counting on ABC to settle the ridiculous $25M lawsuit and use that money to finance OLTL. And it appears they are still hoping for that.
Something was off, just off with new shows. Some questions never got answered. Why did no one react when Victor came back from the dead? Why did Alison have him to begin with? Why was Matthew so pissed at his parents? Was shelter the only place in Llanview? What happened to the country club? The palace? Rody’s? There were some parts that were intriguing – the cult. Loved the fun Bo and Nora, but they need a story.
This makes me sad. I get John, Starr, and Todd were a big part of the show in the past, but AMC seems to be fine without Erika Kane..
Agree Tania. I think the online OLTL should have picked up exactly where the original left off on ABC. The show was absolutely on fire when it ended & it just seemed like dying embers when it started back. I could not get into it at all. Miss the real OLTL & everyone who was on there. I look at my cast picture that is framed in my bedroom every day & miss THAT OLTL.
I agree. So much of AMC (when on ABC) was about Erica Kane, often to the detriment of other stellar actresses (Julia Barr, Cady McClain, Debbi Morgan, Kathleen Noone, etc.). For example, as much as I liked Kim Zimmer (Reva, GL), the show was simply brilliant after she left in 1989 and other actresses had a chance to shine: Maeve Kinkead, Maureen Garrett, Beverlee McKinsey, Amelia Marshall, Ellen Parker, etc.
I prefer the balance TOLN’s AMC has: it’s an ensemble once again.
I’M VERY UPSET .I PAID AHEAD FOR OLTL.SO I’M OWED MONEY.BUT I WILL NOT PAY FOR AMC. NOT A FAN.
How did you pay money? That network is free.
If you want to watch from your cell phone or ipad etc its NOT free only free from a pc or laptop.
I also watched using streaming from Apple TV for free, and of course, Oprah picked up the shows. No one needed to pay money to watch the shows.
I really think AMC is better. Alot of the main characters didn’t come back and still they have good story lines for both younger and older generations. The audience is there. I do hope they bring it back though. There’s alot of fans out there.
Not true–watched OLTL and AMC on my IPad using Hula and never paid a dime.
AMC is way better than OLTL
OLTL NEEDS MORE CHARACTERS WE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT
It was nice to see old friends again, but ABC would rather kill these than admit they blew it.
Katie, Oprah, Frons, ABC, Disney, all to blame. We didn’t matter in the initial decision, we don’t matter in this…..money money money….egos egos egos…..and the people who watched, made the ratings, were loyal…all get shit.
I never have and never will watch the Chew….and to this day have not watched Modern Family because of this….when Modern Family lands on Logo, I’ll watch.
What a shame that Katie gets all the money while 1000s lose jobs and viewers lost their show.
Logo thats a hot ass mess of a channel they killed of the one show that made the channel Noahs Arc and didnt care what fans had to say the only thing they have is Ru Paul saving them as for ABC and PP Oltl is a dying horse its not pulling in viewers and ithas nothing to do with actors cause AMC is doing big numbers on line and on air PP is saying its abc and the case but its really they dont want to waste anymore money they dont have on a show that is not bringing in cash or views PP is starting to make cash back after the on air deal they made with Oprahs Own network
Hey Thomas – you will be able to see “Modern Family” in full on the USA Network starting Very Soon
You can’t really lump Oprah in with that crew just because she didn’t want to spend her OWN money on them herself
Agreed. Oprah had nothing to do with the cancellation. That she, among MANY other networks and network heads, including Bravo’s Andy Cohen, wasn’t willing to pick them when they were an hour long and very expensive, isn’t a reason they were canceled in the first place. The only thing she did was make a video explaining why she wasn’t picking them up, something Andy Cohen and other network heads did not do, and because of that, suddenly she got hate and boycotts. Say, what? That was actually a very courteous thing to do.
I think losing Todd was terrible for OLTL. I do think that OLTL will be back if at all possible. OLTL was really short of actors and the storylines weren’t there. I would love to see Viki and Dorian written into AMC. They are great actors with great personalities. This won’t happen because I think PP does want to bring OLTL back. I am an AMC fan and my heart goes out to the OLTL fans. We thought these soaps were dead before so let’s hope OLTL makes it back. I do think recasts could be done because fans know PP could not get these actors back and would accept the recasts quicker.
All the cash is going to AMC the numbers online and on the air are great i think AMC is here to stsy Oltl is on life support
I haven’t watched those two in years, but I really think you are on to something. Those two would fit right in
I smell a rat. AMC was written much better and most likely for a reason I believe is playing out now. The Victor reveal on OLTL fell flat……could not believe what a bore it turned out to be. OLTL was never like that when it was on TV. I believe less effort was put forth on OLTL and I am thrilled that Michael E. Knight is returning to AMC. AMC did not need Susan/Erica full time to succeed as was well noted. Let us know up front the truth so we can morn once again our beloved soap.
I always loved OLTL on ABC and it was by far the better of the two shows at that time. I did enjoy the PP version of AMC better than OLTL. I think that they should figure out this stupid law suit and then get OLTL back eventually too. We don’t need Starr or John but the show really does need Victor and Todd. GH doesn’t need Roger Howarth as Franco. Just let him come back to OLTL where he belongs with Blair!
I liked Todd with Blair but its still up to the actor if he wants to return to OLTL full time.
Prospect Park should have played ball with GH, and vice versa.
They could have done soem great crossover stuff and brought much needed attention to the show. That being said, the writing for OLTL just wasnt there. Natalie and Destiny hanging out was never believable and the fact that ittook so long to acknowledge Clint set up the order of protection against John took too long. Cole and Hope wrent relevent to OLTL at the end nor are they to the reboot so to say that GH killing those characters off hurt the show is insulting to the intelligence of your viewers. Recast McBain and Starr, I have to say I personally didnt miss them. Roger Howarth is not replaceable, but I would deal with it.
I just cancelled my Hulu subscription, Im over the whole thing. I was never a AMC fan but I watched it to support BOTH shows. The writing is so much better than OLTL but they dont have the acting ability the cast of OLTL does. The newbies, as nice as they are to look at on AMC have zero acting talent as opposed to the newbies at OLTL. OK, the girl who plays Destiny isnt good but everyone else was bringing it in each episode.
Sad, but I wont pay a monthly subscription to anything for a half hour show twice a week, bring back OLTL and Ill renew my subscription.
The writing is so much better than OLTL but they dont have the acting ability the cast of OLTL does.
“spot on”.
even as a newbie… that was easy to see.
I hope it’s not too late for ALL the OLTL ‘lifers.
Michael Fairman- what is your take on all of the questions you posed to us? You seem to have an inside edge? What is really going on?
He’s on Prospect Parks payroll, so he isn’t going to say anything against them.
Ow
Its about ratings Oltl has been awful to a point slow and stale They have Todd acting soft Tea is screaming and over acting and AMC is pulling in 3 times the view ship PP is pulling the cash for the horse that is winning court case or not if Oltl dont do the numbers PP cant keep sinking cash into it
Oltl started out slow but i started to get hooked. Im sad fans want to watch soaps
I love OLTL and am willing to watch in any form! I have been a fan of 40 yrs. I do miss some key actors but very much enjoy the show and never miss one. Please bring it back!!!!
I think its hard because if I was an actor, I’d much prefer to be on GH with a yearlong contract, etc. I think if PP was so vested in using these characters, they should have played a more active part from the beginning. I have to say, I actually like Roger Howarth as Franco better than I did James Franco, but then again I liked him as Todd and I never was an OLTL viewer. I liked John Mc Bain a whole lot more than Silas Clay and really liked the Starr/Michael pairing. They could relate in a neat way.
Not surprising at all. I’m just surprised both shows weren’t suspended indifinetely. PP is in over its head. I think they are HOPING to win the lawsuit so they can have some money to try to produce the show. I’m curious as to how long the actor’s contracts are with PP? I’ll aslo believe that AMC is in production when it actually IS in production and not a moment sooner.
This news makes me sad. I agree with others that One Life was actually kind of boring but I didn’t care as long as I could still see my “family” on the screen, whether it’s a computer screen or tv screen.
I think shelving OLTL may be a legal tactic by PP in their lawsuit fight so I am holding out some hope that the show will be back at some point. If that happens, I truly hope the production team makes some needed changes: lose the new sets like Shelter and the new coffee shop and bring back what’s familiar — Rody’s, the Bonjour Café, etc. And find a new Destiny. This actress just doesn’t cut it.
Make the show as similar to what we saw on ABC as possible and I’d bet the ratings will get better. I just hope we have a chance to find out.
The lawsuit is about many, many issues, including but not limited to the handling of PP- licensed characters by ABC when they were lent to GH. That is only one of many issues. Read the complaint– it’s all over online. Google it. It’s in straightforward language and is easily followed. PP has cause for grievances and it’s very hard to move forward freely in terms of long- term production/writing/staffing/cable licensing i.e. OWN, etc when you are involved in litigation with a company you are ostensibly in business with that seems–seems– to be actively undermining the ability to run your business. I am in the entertainment business field and I can tell you point blank that it is impossible to PP to do anything they want to do without resolving the issues they have with ABC, and it isn’t just about three actors.
Michael if OLTL is in trouble they had better fix it. If we lose OLTL again I will be one that stops watching soaps. OLTL is my soap, part of my family. Without OLTL I quit my fighting for soaps. AMC has always been given more attention. I don’t understand that. It is not better than OLTL. I enjoy ABC soaps but without OLTL I will be through worrying about saving anything. I am very angry!!!!!!!!!!
You are putting the show on hiatus to settle a lawsuit over three characters? That doesn’t make any sense. I really wish PP would forfeit their rights and give the shows to a cable company! Obviously this is too big for PP, looking at the ratings everyone can see there is still a strong audience for these soaps! Hell, now that Oprah sees that theses are a moneymaker, maybe she’ll take them over. So, next year 2 episodes of AMC each week? This is bull$shit!
OWN isnt ready to create daytime shows they just started pulling in great numbers cause of its shows The Haves and Have Not (2 million a week) and other ndw shows so now they have room to add the soaps but they will keep showing them as long as they and PP agree to broadcast terms
This is killing me. OLTL was always the better show and it has nothing to do with the three GH characters!! Hire some good writers! As others have said, there was no story and no “feel” of Llanview—a great cast mostly standing around at a club-Shelter.
Prospect Park needs to hire some long time viewers as consultants. Then you’d have a hit show.
It all comes down to PP is not concern about these soaps but about a lawsuit they can’t win.OLTL could go on without these characters.AMC has gone on without a lot of main characters.Putting them off forever caused a lot to go elsewhere.They need to get over shirtless guys pumping iron and the nightclub scenes and get to the roots of OLTL.To many people predicted this would happen.PP didn’t put enough of the real characters in the stories and now blaming it on three.To many OLTL fans have been disappointed in their story.You have Viki,Dorian,Clint,Nora,Bo,Blair and the youngest cast.There is a lot of storylines in these charcters.Alot did not tune in Own for reruns which also hurt.There is where the big money is.A network.
Yes, as much as I love my OLTL… the writers seemed more interested in way to write “shit” in the scripts that the scripts themselves.
So… get some writers who know the show, then carry on… please !
I love OLTL. It become my “go to” soap when AMC got so bad in its last years on ABC. And it got terrible.
OLTL, IMO, had a rocky start in the reboot. But I think it got back on track in all ways by the middle of the season. And the last couple of weeks were spectacular! WHAT a cliffhanger, to end with Alison Perkins standing over Clint, part of this shadow organization that even Jeffrey was a part of. Why it didn’t do as well as AMC is beyond me.
I do think that AMC was more consistent in the reboot, and they have some fine new actors to compliment the vets. But so did/does OLTL.
I don’t know anything more than I read, but I do know I love both shows. I’m glad that AMC is continuing on without a break, but I’m very sad that OLTL won’t be. I’m going to take them at their word – that OLTL is being shelved temporarily – and I’ll be back the minute IT is.
I hope that PP isn’t pilloried online by the fans. Without them we’d never have seen another second of either show. And I’m hoping that we’ll be seeing BOTH back up and running sooner rather than later.
Oltl stories didnt move on its like a endless loop Vickie vs Dorian Bo and Nora Bo vs Clint then Todd came back all soft all the kids are mindless i loved it in the last 2 years at ABC but the reboot has been a bit lame buti love J-wow she needs more air time and could be a new bad girl on there
Loved OLTL on ABC before it got canned. Was elated when it was announced it would be returning online. Was crushed when it was announced it would NOT be revived afterall. Then was elated, yet skeptical, when it was announced again that it WOULD be revived online for real.
Well, after watching the first couple weeks of the online version, I was absolutely disappointed and disgusted with the writing (really? constant swearing? I’m not a prude, but it got to a point where it was just plain bad writing), and casting (recasts, missing characters, etc).
I stopped watching, and hate to say it, but kind of wish it never came back. The new online version has done absolutely no justice to the original televised show, and I hope this is the last and final turn on this seemingly never-ending roller coaster.
Let’s just honor our soap as we used to know it. I’m glad they tried their best (hey, the sets were all great at least), but online OLTL is nowhere near as good as televised OLTL. Let this soap rest in peace!
I could have written your entire comment. I feel exactly the same way. If we can’t get back what we had to begin with let’s just let it go.
I disagree about the sets, I think the sets on both OLTL and AMC are kind of limited and tacky and very “settish” looking. The writing really needs work – how many scenes at “Shelter” can we have on One Life to Live? It’s monotonous after a short while – but I do agree with some of what you say. Maybe the show will still come back – I watch both AMC and One Life but both shows need some writing overhauls.
This complete bs, I have been watching OLTL for 30 plus years, I want my soap back on the internet… Screw ABC, why they always got to mess my show up.. It doesn’t bother me that those 3 actors are not on the show..
As a fan of this show, I’m very disappointed to hear this breaking news. I have to agree with many of the comments here regarding OLTL. I have been a fan of this show since the 90’s and do believe that the show didn’t pick up until the end. We still need some questions answered as to how Allison Perkins kidnapped Victor Lord Jr? Why there was no reaction when he returned on the first week of the relaunch? What is the real reason for the involvement of this colt and it’s motivation to destroy the Buchannans? Overall, the storylines weren’t as strong as AMC. I haven’t watched this show in many years, but the quality of writing was much better. OLTL was missing key sets, like the Country Club, Palace, Rody’s, The Diner, etc. They were able to get so many of the original cast members, but the storylines weren’t strong enough compared to the ABC version. Viki was very agressive in this relaunch version and I have always remembered her to be very compassionate. The lawsuit dispute over the use of OLTL characters on GH should not be the major reason for holding production on this show. If I’m not mistaken, they filed the lawsuit a week before the premiere on April 29th and was still producing episodes afterwards. So, I’m having a difficult time understanding why they need to suspend production of OLTL indefinitely. Based on this information, AMC had higher ratings compared to OLTL, and therefore generated more revenue for Prospect Park. This is why they are focused on producing only AMC because it was more profitable. OLTL could have been just as popular if they had stronger storylines, better quality writing, and a better variety of the original sets. I do believe that OLTL was sabotaged to fail because Prospect Park let GH borrow these characters. This did hurt the relaunch because they destroyed so many potential storylines that could have been written into the new OLTL. Prospect Park should have never agreed to loan these characters to GH. Should have somehow brought them back from the “dead” and potentially a recast for those characters. John was mentioned a lot, but no John. Where’s Starr? What about Jessica? They were fortunate to get Roger Howarth to play Todd, but I didn’t see a strong presence or relevance in the relaunch. All revolving the confusing storyline regarding the organization that abducted Victor. Also, why bring him back, just to have him leave and then be abducted again? I was excited to see both Trevor St. John and Roger Howarth, but Trevor was only on the show for a week. I think we’re not being told the whole truth. Why were we promised 168 episodes per year and then got reduced to 110? We were expected to watch four episodes per week and that got reduced to two. There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. I truly believe this is a money issue regarding the… Read more »
I also don’t think the whole truth has been told. ALL of this is odd: Within two weeks of the premier, the number of episodes for each show is cut from four to two. Then, both shows halt production for a few months so the writers allegedly can catch up. Then, when the stated date for production to resume arrives, suddenly we are informed that we are going to see the “finale” of the first “season” of each with NO stated date for a second season. (I still don’t understand the “finale” business. These shows were continuing serials).
I am sure that there are the “cheerleading” people who immediately are going to respond that “we must support the shows regardless!!!” I was willing to give all of this a shot but I feel like we have received nothing but months and months of changes in production, episodes, scheduling and it is ridiculous. Yes, it is a new business model for these shows but I do NOT think that Prospect Park has been upfront about its decisions and these changes. If the company “bit off more than it can chew” about all of this, it should state that and not continually make changes that don’t make any sense and offer vague comments like this about OLTL being “shelved for now.”
My patience is worn out by PP’s inability to simply state exactly what it is doing!!! If OLTL is being canned, PP should JUST SAY IT!!!! The fans, the actors, the writers, and everyone involved should have a clearer idea of what the heck is going on.
Frankly, I’m over PP and how they have handled this. Obviously, there were unexpected bumps in the road to the whole endeavor but PP has done a POOR JOB of keeping everyone informed. I feel like PP simply has strung everyone along
Unless this is just a soft way of telling us that the show is cancelled (which could well be the case), I don’t see how this changes anything. AMC and OLTL don’t tape at the same time and AMC season 2 was supposed to be taped before OLTL anyway wasn’t it?
Exactly. I understand they can’t produce, but why can’t the writers be.. writing??? The last time PP claimed the reason they cut our season’s short by FIFTY episodes is because the writers didn’t have a enuff time.. so now they have plenty of time if the show is only ‘temporarily’ being shelved.
What does a lawsuit have to do with the production of the show, no matter how it turns out.. Hope/Cole are still dead or can be brought back. Are they trying to force GH to fire the 3 OLTL actors, and are waiting to see if they will so then they can write for them?
I do not think 3 characters make up the show I say RECAST RECAST!!!!! It has been done before…The lawsuit was ongoing during season1 so be it, I think season 2 can handle it again.. please be honest with us fans …and do not do what ABC did to us.
Business is Business but the show must go on !!!!!!!!!PLEASE…
Honestly, I’m getting to the point where I just don’t care anymore….The three characters that PP is throwing such a fit over could have easily been recast. It would have taken some time for people to adjust to a recast, but that’s what soap fans do…we adjust. It wouldn’t be the first or last time a character has been recast. I think this is a ploy, because the writing over at OLTL hasn’t been up to par….so they’re using this lawsuit as an excuse. Just move on without the characters or recast….and be done with it. I watched all of season one of OLTL and was not terribly impressed, because it wasn’t the show that I was used to. And no, I don’t mean the absence of characters….I just mean the storytelling was not as good as it was, when they had Ron Calavarti….so come back if you want, but if the writing remains at the same level as the first season, I won’t be tuning in.
Let the church say Amen!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Please Prospect park – bring back OLTL.
We supported the show on all the platofrms, OWN screwed it up by having OLTL on at 3:00pm, then without warning moving it to 1:30.
Please Please Please do not give up on One Life to Live. We don’t need the characters on GH, (sigh not even Todd). We do need out Llanview family. DOnt take it away again.
And it you do –roll the characters – all of them into AMC and make the one hour show 5 times a week.
Please dont take my Viki away again.
I don’t think they should wait to start Season Two. I think what they should do is tell some interesting stories a la the old version of OLTL and carry on. We had Todd for most of Season One, so I don’t think that affected ratings too much. John and Starr were MIA but so were many, many other characters.
I mean, geez!, you had a lot of veteran performers returning to do very little after all the writing changes and they fought to find their footing.
I’m really not complaining, because we were warned that this was a new frontier and they’d be feeling their way through it. So what I would expect is a better crafted Season Two; learning from the start-up mistakes of Season One.
If AMC can continue on, so could OLTL. Let’s make it happen!!!
This doesn’t come as a surprise to me. I posted on another one of your threads that I doubted that OLTL would be back…at least in the near future.
What I resent is how Pepperman…or whatever her name is…made it seem like they had such great things in store for OLTL…she said this only recently. On the other hand, they also just hired new writers.
Didn’t anyone review the scripts before they aired? There was obviously so much dissatisfaction with the first few weeks of OLTL stories that it lost viewership…which explains why AMC had the higher ratings this go round.
As for a lawsuit…that’s horrendous. A startup doesn’t need a major corporation with lots of backing pulverizing them in court. Prospect Park’s got a lot to deal with financially.
Of course this translates into this sucks for us, the fans…just as the story was FINALLY getting good. I’ll miss it…but not half as much as the ABC version. And, I do hope that one day it comes back…and kicks butt…though I wonder which original actors will still be available by then…
IF PP pull this shit, then 2 episodes of AMC won’t be acceptable.. they’d better give us at LEAST 4, if we are lucky they’ll cancel that ‘more’ show and give us 5!
I don’t mind the “More” show but it’s kind of unnecessary. If we follow the show we don’t really need a commentary on it, it just feels like “filler” because frankly that’s what it is. For years on abc-tv, I found I couldn’t keep up with both shows, each being an hour long every day (with my work schedule it’s hard). But I’ve been able to keep up with AMC and One Life On-line even though the new on line inceptions have not been that enthralling – so, I’m kind of bummed to see this happening. Why don’t they just combine the best of AMC and OLTL and make it into ONE show – Landview and Pine Valley are supposed to be near each other anyway. I think they should have done this to begine with since prospect park seems to have nothing but problems from the get go.
Does anyone else out there feel that AMC and OLTL should be combined?
Too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Just about everyone had their fingers in the mix before the cake was baked and the bottom line was money, greed and ego. Prospect Park has been waging an uphill battle with everyone from ABC to Oprah and One Life to Live has the dubious honor of (once again) being the victim. ABC(Disney) is a diabolical, ruthless corporate mutation that promotes paltry mediocrity such as KATIE by axing a successful series such as OLTL. Behind the scenes monetary deals and monkey business the size of an army of King Kongs has been rampant throughout the entire Frons-initiated nightmare of the past several years. Even amongst the ranks of those of us who fought relentlessly to salvage OLTL and AMC, there has been dissention re. writing and quality of the PP versions of these programs. This writer feels that once writer Ron Carlivati was enticed to General Hospital and key OLTL characters were shifted over and then dispatched systematically (McBain, Starr) the prognosis for the “new: OLTL was questionable. For me the show lost its signature quirkiness and originality, opting for a more standard middle-of-the-road talking heads approach. While PP nonetheless crafted its own sleek look and church with the remnants of the former OLTL, there has been a hollowness within the conventional format presented. Add to the stylistic and atmospheric transformation of OLTL the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) experiment (did it help or hurt?) of rebroadcasting the online segments of OLTL on television and the show was clearly being subjected to a ping pong match between corporations. I am glad OLTL had more than ONE life to live (1.5 lives in my estimation) but I feel that grievous harm was done when the unique flair of the original died with the shifting of the writers and producers during its final stand at ABC. Personally, I am disgusted but not shocked. It’s not much different than an abused spouse returning for another round of mistreatment.
All My Children
8 Years To The Day Of All My Children & One Life to Live Being Canceled; Still Considered By Many Worst Move For Daytime
It’s hard to believe that 8 years ago today on April 14th, 2011, the soap world, its fans, and the cast members, learned of the heartbreaking news that ABC, in one swift move, decimated its daytime line-up when they announced the cancellations of long running series, All My Children (which would end at its 41st year), and One Life to Live (which would ends its run in its 43rd year).
At the time, ABC announced it would move to more lifestyle/entertainment series to replace these dramas. In its place came The Chew and The Revolution, neither show is still on the air today. Executives at that time pointed to research saying that times are changing and that their decision was “guided by extensive research into what today’s daytime viewers want,” and blame, in part, “the changing viewing patterns of the audience” for the axing of AMC and OLTL
Then ABC Daytime President, Brian Frons had joked to Deadline about the big announcement that he: “Pre-entered the witness protection program prior to today’s events.” He added that “The demise of the two venerable soaps was actually a year in the making. A year ago, we started to look at our projections where the ratings for the soaps would go. When those projections came in pretty discouraging, the network began to aggressively develop replacement shows, 15 of them. Four of the 15 were picked up to pilot: The Chew and The Revolution and two others, a talk show and a dating show. Originally, the idea was to cancel only one daytime drama. The way the ratings developed and the pilots turned out, the ratings developed negatively and pilots developed positively, so we decided to make a bigger shift.” Of note is that when it went off the air, One Life to Live was in third place among its competitors in the ratings.
The press release that came with the cancellations stated: “To honor the core, passionate audience and their rich history both shows will conclude in a manner that respects their legacies and the longstanding hopes of many of their viewers.”
Following the cancellations daytime reeled. The mainstream was sure it meant the endings of the soaps, period. However, four shows illustrated that is not true at all. For Days of our Lives, General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless all remain, and still whether they are up or down in their numbers/ratings, they remain relevant and important to the enduring daytime viewing audience.
Sadly, as with any shows, the end of ABC’s AMC and OLTL meant loss of jobs for so many working in front of the camera and behind the scenes. One Life was the last soap opera in production in New York at the time. AMC was already being shot in LA to cut costs to save it.
Still in 2019, if you venture on to social media, especially Twitter, you see fans constantly missing its stars and the towns of Llanview and Pine Valley, wanting this wrong rectified. Although Prospect Park tried to revive the show with their online versions, eventually after legal battles that went on for a few years, ABC now retains the right to these properties,
The good news is that many favorites from AMC and OLTL have found success and been hired on other soap operas, bringing their followings with them, whether it be on-screen, or in the writing, producing, directing or crew departments.
So, do you think the loss of AMC and OLTL consolidated daytime and made the remaining shows stronger so they would not be touched or canceled? Do you think ABC should try to mount a resurrected AMC and OLTL or an amalgamation of the two? Do you remember where you were when you learned the two soaps were cancelled? Was this the worst misstep of all-time for daytime? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
All My Children
George R. R. Martin’s “Leak” Of New Hulu Series WILD CARDS Featuring Eden Riegel, Thorsten Kaye. and Greg Rikkart
April Fool’s Day started off with a bang today when Eden Riegel (Ex-Bianca, AMC) posted a photo of herself with Thorsten Kaye (Ridge, B&B) and Greg Rikaart (Ex-Leo, DAYS) in a very intriguing image. See above pic! As it turns out, it’s said to be from behind the scenes from some leaked footage of the upcoming Hulu series, Wild Cards.
The premise of Wild Cards is based on the sci-fi anthology series edited by George R. R, Martin, best known for writing the “Song of Ice and Fire” novels, on which HBO’s Game of Thrones is based. Riegel’s husband, Andrew Miller is the showrunner attached to the upcoming series.
On Martin’s website he teases the set-up of the “leaked” video clip: “This was not supposed to go public.. Everybody (Well, everybody that has been paying attention knows that we are developing two Wild Cards as a series for Hulu Andrew Miller has taken the reins as showrunner, a writing staff has been hired, and they have been hard at work for months. What was NOT supposed to be known is how far they’ve come. Not only have some scripts been finished, but the first show has gone into production and has been shooting. That was supposed to be a deep dark secret, however. We wanted to surprise the world. It’s hard to keep secrets in Hollyweird, however. And now it appears that some of the rough footage has been leaked by person or persons unknown”
Meanwhile, Riegel sent out a series of tweets: “Hooo boy…cat’s out of the bag! Fans, please don’t judge our show based on these leaked videos!! The effects are going to knock your socks off. And my costars, @Iamthorstenkaye and @gregrikaart, are doing the best work of their lives!” That was followed by, T”hank you @GeorgeRRMartin_ for the chance to work with you on your first foray into soaps! I am humbled and honored. We won’t let you down.” And then, “I’m probably not allowed to share this with all the NDAs I signed, but damnit I’m just so proud of the #wildcardssoap team! think we are breaking new ground for soaps. So proud to work with you!”
Now below, check out the Wild Cards “leaked footage” and let us know if you think of the …. um … drama! Comment below. And one more thing … Happy April Fool’s!
All My Children
WATCH: All My Children Reunion On Strahan & Sara
On Monday’s episode of ABC’s Strahan & Sara, the show welcomed several stars of the beloved All My Children for a reunion, of sorts. Joining hosts Michael Strahan and Sara Haines were Susan Lucci (Erica), Walt Willey (Jack), Cady McClain (Dixie), Jacob Young (JR) and Jill Larson (Opal).
While it was wonderful to see the stars from Pine Valley again, it was also a painful reminder that this network, ABC, canceled the show, and had put in its place – The Chew, and now Strahan & Sara – since canning the series. In fact, as you will see on the clips below, many of the crew who work on this talk show were once the crew for All My Children.
During the segment, Susan Lucci was tested to see if she remembered all of Erica Kane’s wedded names. Later, Walt Willey and Susan re-created the final scene of the ABC version of All My Children between Erica and Jack, where Jack walks out on her. However, this time, they have Jack changing his mind and coming back to Erica and sealing their relationship with a kiss – a moment of closure that never happened (since the show moved to online via Prospect Park).
In addition, Cady McClain and Jacob Young re-created the infamous Dixie “dying from eating poison pancakes” scene, as JR watches his mother die, only this time she lives.
It’s always great to see these veteran performers, but Strahan & Sara is trying to capture the soap viewers to put eyeballs on their show by bringing in talent from the show that sadly and wrongly went off the air.
Watch the clips below from the All My Children reunion below. Then, let us know what you thought of it via the comment section below.
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